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Big Brother Australia is the Australian version of the international Big Brother reality television series. Big Brother Australia was produced from 2001 and ran for 8 seasons before it was cancelled in 2008. It has been renewed in September 2011 for a 2012 season. All eight seasons were produced by Endemol Southern Star and shown on Network Ten. Like many international adaptions, the show was attributed to a change in social and televisual patterns; with many mannerisms, sayings and habits of the shows contestants resonating positively across the country.
The show was also known as the 'mother of reality television' in Australia; being the first prominent program of the genre. The show was successful, producing many celebrities including Blair McDonough, Chrissie Swan and Ryan Fitzgerald. From its first season until its seventh season in 2007 the show was hosted Gretel Killeen. With a revamp of the series in 2008 she was replaced by radio duo Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. After experiencing audience erosion and controversy, the show was cancelled in July 2008 and ended the same month. Mike Goldman narrated all eight seasons of the series. Between 2001 and 2005 it was also shown in New Zealand on TV2 and Prime.
The first purpose built Big Brother house is located at the compound Dreamworld, Queensland from 2001-2011 not in use, and it has been confirmed that, “(Nine) were looking to base it in Sydney to separate their Big Brother from Channel 10′s,” an insider said. “But the reality is the Queensland theme parks are the perfect place, in terms of people being able to get up close to (the house).” A reunion marking 10 years of Big Brother was held on 8 April 2011 as part of an episode of A Current Affair. The special saw 13 former housemates return plus series narrator Mike Goldman for a group interview about their time on the show. On 3 June 2011, Chief Programming Officer at Network Ten, David Mott, talked about a possible Big Brother revival, however has stated that he believes 'in some respects audiences have moved on.'
It was confirmed on 9 September 2011, that Big Brother Australia will return to screens in 2012 on the Nine Network styled as "Big Brother: Secrets".[1]
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Each season of Big Brother began late April or early May. Big Brother began in Australia in 2001. It was hosted by Gretel Killeen from 2001 to 2007. In late 2007 it was announced that Gretel Killeen would not host the show for its 2008 return. This was due to her controversial methods of hosting.[2][3]
In 2008 Big Brother returned for its eighth season with hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. Ten's chief programmer David Mott admitted the series had recently experienced "audience erosion" inherent with the show's long run. Mott defended the new hosts saying that the ratings for eviction shows held up.[4]
Mike Goldman provided narration and voice-overs for all eight seasons. In July 2008, Network 10 announced they would not air Big Brother after 2008 and were not signing another contract for the show., due to falling ratings for the weeknight shows.[4]
In September 2011 Big Brother was picked up for a ninth season for 2012 [5] to be fronted by Sonia Kruger.[6]
Big Brother Australia is based on the international Big Brother series produced by Endemol in the Netherlands which began in 1999. The show's name comes from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which revolves around a dystopia in which dictator Big Brother is the all-seeing leader. The series generally constitutes 14 or more contestants who live in an isolated house for several months. Housemates are at all times under the control of Big Brother, a rule enforcing authority figure who monitors behaviour of the housemates, set tasks and punishments and provides the mechanism for contestants to make external requests.
Housemates are filmed 24 hours per day with edited highlights broadcast during prime time slots, and late night footage broadcast live. Live footage is also broadcast via the Internet using Internet streaming. Housemates must remain in the house, and avoid being evicted by viewers of the show with the aim of winning a substantial cash prize at the end of the series. In order to support the housemates' well-being, all participants have access to the Big Brother psychologist Carmel Hill, and a doctor, at all times.
After the series housemates are invited to attend promotional appearances around Australia.
| Season | Network | Premiere date | Finale date | Days | Housemates | Winner | Grand Prize | Overall Ratings (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Brother 2001 | Network Ten | 23 April 2001 | 16 July 2001 | 85 | 14 | Ben Williams | $250,000 | 1.4mill |
| Big Brother 2002 | 8 April 2002 | 1 July 2002 | 85 | 15 | Peter Corbett | $250,000 | 1.5mill | |
| Celebrity Big Brother | 7 July 2002 | 12 August 2002 | 24 | 12 | Dylan Lewis | $100,000 | 1.1mill | |
| Big Brother 2003 | 27 April 2003 | 21 July 2003 | 86 | 16 | Regina Bird | $250,000 | 1.7mill | |
| Big Brother 2004 | 2 May 2004 | 26 July 2004 | 86 | 16 | Trevor Butler | $1,000,000 | 1.5mill | |
| Big Brother 2005 | 8 May 2005 | 15 August 2005 | 100 | 20 | Greg Mathew | $836,000 | 1.2mill | |
| Big Brother 2006 | 22 April 2006 | 31 July 2006 | 100 | 23 | Jamie Brooksby | $426,000 | 1.3mill | |
| Big Brother 2007 | 22 April 2007 | 30 July 2007 | 100 | 21 | Aleisha Cowcher | $450,000 | 1.1mill | |
| Big Brother 2008 | 28 April 2008 | 21 July 2008 | 85 | 20 | Terri Munro | $250,000 | 945,000 | |
| Big Brother 2012 | Nine Network | August 2012 | October 2012 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
The winner of Big Brother Australia receives a cash prize for being the last remaining housemate.
In Big Brother 2001, Big Brother 2002, and Big Brother 2003, the cash prize stood at a guaranteed A$250,000. In Big Brother 2004, the prize money was raised to a guaranteed $1,000,000. Big Brother 2005 and Big Brother 2006 both continued to offer the $1,000,000 prize money, however, with the introduction of the fines system, the winner of Big Brother 2005 received $836,000 in prize money, while the winner of Big Brother 2006 received $426,000.[7] Housemates in Big Brother 2005 and Big Brother 2006 were given opportunities to regain lost prize money in special Friday Night Live events named The Prize Fight. Big Brother Australia 2007 was advertised as having no prize money at all. When the season began it was revealed that prize money could be accumulated upon the successful completion of tasks. The prize money at the end of the season stood at $450,000. In Big Brother Australia 2008, the prize money was not mentioned until half way through the series, eventually being revealed as $250,000.[8]
In Celebrity Big Brother 2002 the winner was awarded $100,000 to the charity of their choice.
Big Brother 2005 introduced a fines system in which the $1,000,000 cash prize is decreased by $5,000 each time a housemates violates a Big Brother rule. The house used for the 2006 season featured a Punishment Room, which was revealed following the first week of that season, where housemates would sometimes be sent for punishment additional to the $5,000 fine. In Big Brother 2007, monetary fines were subtracted from the household budget rather than from the prize money, while the Punishment Room remained. The 2008 season featured no fines system at all. Instead Big Brother used the original striking system more frequently. When a housemate receives three strikes they are evicted.
A fundamental and strongly-enforced rule of Big Brother Australia is that nominations, and the use of the Twist, are not to be discussed at all. Specifically, all housemates are forbidden from disclosing to other housemates who they have previously nominated, who they plan to nominate in the future, or who their Twist has been used on; and they must not engage in conjecture about who may attract nomination votes and why. These discussions are banned and are deemed collusion by Big Brother, as they may give housemates a competitive advantage. Breaking this rule incurs fines, punishment, or loss of the right to nominate in the following round.
During the 2007 series the winner of Friday Night Games and their chosen companion in the rewards room were permitted to privately discuss who they plan to nominate, whilst in the rewards room.
2008 introduced a nominations room where housemates were allowed to discus who they wanted to nominate, this appeared half way through the season.
Every series of Big Brother Australia included "Intruders": new housemates added to the house by the show's producers as an on-going housemate after the series has started. Producers try to add housemates that they think might stir things up, or add a significant change to the house. They are eligible to win the final prize. They usually don't last very long in the house, however in Big Brother 2007, Zach made it to the final two and missed the win by 2%.
The purpose built Big Brother house is located at within Dreamworld, a theme park in Coomera, a northern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
The exterior is a large shell, housing the interior living area and camera runs. The interior of the house was usually rebuilt between seasons with a new layout and new design. Series production was occurred between April and July. The house was open to the public until late December, after which public access closed as renovations and rebuilding was undertaken.
Only slight modifications were made to the interior of the house for the second season and the special Celebrity Big Brother Australia series that were screened in 2002. Subsequent to those seasons, the interior of the house was rebuilt or extensively remodeled for each new series. Two separate houses were built for Big Brother 2003, and they were merged 23 days into the season when previously-hidden connecting rooms were revealed. The 2005 season introduced a Friday Night Games arena. An animal enclosure was added to the side of the compound for the 2006 season. It was retained for 2007.
Footage from the house is monitored and edited in Dreamworld Studios,[9] There is also an open air auditorium where live audience shows such as the eviction and finale episodes are staged.
During production on the series, visitors could access the Big Brother auditorium and view live footage from the house.
The auditorium was an existing facility at Dreamworld used for live stage shows prior to the first season of Big Brother. It was leased to Endemol Southern Star for the duration of the series each year. The front section is covered with seating. There is also an open-air grass area at the back of the auditorium (cheapest tickets) where audience members bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on. This area is sometimes unavailable due to weather conditions.
In November 2009 the house was opened to the public as a function room.
The theme is titled Big Brother theme, and was adapted from the original theme used in the original Big Brother, which aired in the Netherlands. The theme for Big Brother Australia was written by Siew Ooi and 001 Productions in Melbourne. The track is an extended version of the main title theme used in the first two seasons of Big Brother Australia, and tracks heard throughout the seasons that followed are shorter, remixed versions of this track. The original track can sometimes be heard in the background when eviction votes, or the nomination tally in the Nominations show, are shown on screen, or when eviction phone numbers are during a show.
The title theme was initially released as a single. The track was an extended mix of the main title theme used in the first two seasons, and was released with an acoustic "Diary Room" mix and more trance influenced "Eviction" mix. It barely scraped in the top 50, but was re-released a few months later where it reached #12 on the ARIA charts in 2001 with a B-Side of The Sirens' hit "Don't You Think That It's Strange", which was also co-written by Big Brother 2001 housemates; the Diary Room mix; and an extended version of the Big Brother Uncut theme.
It is as yet unknown if the ninth season to air on Channel Nine will have a new theme. As it has been said that show will reflect more the French, UK and US versions of the show, it is possible that the theme could be based on the Big Brother UK theme.
During each series, specific elements of the competition have a special show dedicated to them, usually presented on a specific evening. Each weeknight and on Sunday evenings a compilation of the general events in the House for the previous day are presented. All live shows are broadcast with a 30-second delay so that images or language that cannot be broadcast due to Australia's censorship laws can be cut. These programs add up to approximately 16 hours per week. Except for during its first season, Big Brother episodes screened each day except Saturday.
The Opening Night is the first episode of the Big Brother series that introduces the new housemates and the house for that year. It was hosted by Gretel Killeen until 2008 when she was replaced by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. In different seasons it ran under various titles such as Launch, In They Go, The Secret.
The Daily Show aired Monday - Friday at 7:00pm – 7:30pm for all seasons of the series. It reported on the previous day's happenings inside the House, and was narrated by Mike Goldman.
Later seasons of Big Brother added a Sunday edition of the daily show, which covered the preceding Friday and Saturday, which screened Sundays at 6:30pm – 7:30pm. Occasionally, in various seasons of the series, the daily show episode would run to one hour, sometimes to accommodate a special event in the house.
For the 2001 through to the 2007 seasons, on screen it simply carried the title Big Brother. For the 2008 season the on-screen title was shown as Big Brother: Daily Show. During the 2008 season the Monday evening installment was extended to a one-hour duration when the housemate nominations were incorporated into the episode.
Big Brother: UpLate is a late-night show screened every weeknight throughout the Big Brother seasons in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and hosted by Mike Goldman. The show was first introduced with Big Brother 2003. The show aired at 11:15pm on Monday—Thursdays, 10:30pm on Fridays and 10:10 pm. Episodes usually had a duration between 60 and 120 minutes.
The show features live footage from the House; interviews with evicted housemates; and brain teasers where viewers attempt to solve challenges such as word games, and may phone in for a chance to win $1000. An online stream was made available for the 2006 season at QuizTV.com.au specifically for viewers in states that do not receive UpLate live on television (i.e. South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory), enabling them to enter the competitions. It was possible for this stream to be viewed by those outside of Australia. During the 2007 season of Big Brother a Sunday evening edition of the show was added.
UpLate did not return for the 2008 season of Big Brother.
Big Brother Nominations was a one hour special show that aired on Monday evenings after the Daily Show for the 2002, through to the 2007 seasons.
In the first series of Big Brother Australia there was no special show for nominations; they were simply shown as a part of the Daily Show on Tuesday evening. In the first season of the series housemates did not have to give reasons for their nominations. Subsequent seasons added a special dedicated to the nomination process. This was usually pre-taped; in Big Brother 2005 the announcement of which housemates were nominated for eviction was presented live. For the first half of the 2008 season the housemates no longer nominated, and there was no special nominations show. When nominations resumed in the middle of that season they were shown as part of the Monday evening Daily Show. Where there was special dedicated to the nomination process, this episode presented footage of the housemates as they explain in the Diary Room who they nominate for eviction.
In the nomination process itself, housemates each have three points to appoint to two other housemates. Their first nomination appoints two nomination points to a housemate, the second gives another housemate one point. If Big Brother feels a housemate's nomination is not clear and concise, he may decide to give the nominating housemate one nomination point. The three housemates with the highest number of points are revealed to the housemates. In the case of a third place tie, all those tying for third place are eligible for eviction. On these occasions more than three housemates would be up for eviction.
An innovation introduced in Big Brother 2005 was the Three Point Twist whereby the winner of Friday Night Live must subtract three nomination points from one of the nominated housemates. If they themselves are included in the original lineup of potential evictees they may opt to subtract the points from themselves. This occurs after the initial nominations have been announced to all housemates, and while housemates may not discuss which housemate they remove points from, where the line-up changes it is often clear which housemate has had their nomination points deducted. The three housemates with the highest number of nomination points after the Three Point Twist will face eviction. Again in the case of a third place tie, more than three housemates may be up for eviction. The Three Point Twist got its name as part of a sponsorship deal with KFC. Big Brother 2007 introduced a new version of the "nominations twist" where the winner of Friday Night Games must now entirely remove a housemate who is nominated for eviction, and then nominate a new housemate to be up for eviction.
For the first five weeks of the Big Brother 2008 season there were no housemate nominations viewers could vote to nominate and the housemates voted to evict. Those housemate eviction votes were delievered on air during the Sunday evening eviction show. Half way through the season nominations made a return after the eviction process was reverted to the original format in which the housemates nominate and the public may vote to evict. There was no special show for the nominations in the 2008 season, they were screened in an extended (one hour) Daily Show on Monday night.
Camilla Halliwell holds the record for the most times nominated for eviction. Halliwell, who finished runner-up in the 2006 season, faced the public vote ten times. Rory Ammon, who appears in the eighth season of the show, faced possible eviction on nine occasions.
Housemate evictions occur in a program titled Big Brother Live Eviction. The housemate who has attracted the most viewer votes to evict is evicted. The eviction shows are televised each Sunday night at 7:30pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time). Actual events start a short time before 7:30 pm. Proceedings are conducted in an auditorium in front of a live audience at Dreamworld.
These shows are broadcast live. In this show usually one housemate, but occasionally two, is evicted from the house, usually at around 7:45-8:00 pm. Shows that feature two evictions are called Double Eviction. The first Australian Double Eviction, described in advertising hyperbole as a "world first", took place during Big Brother 2002. Big Brother 2006 added the save vote, allowing viewers to vote to save a housemate as well as evict; in the final tally housemates' save votes are subtracted from their evict votes.
The 2008 season introduced a new nomination and eviction process. For the 2008 season the public vote for which housemate to save from eviction. The three housemates with the least amount of save votes are nominated for eviction. The housemates then vote to evict one of the three. From week five this new routine was abandoned the original eviction procedure reinstated: housemates nominate each other and viewers may vote only to evict those nominated. The first viewer-voted eviction of the season occurred 8 June 2008 this however was changed halfway through the season to the original process.
In Big Brother 2004 after the eviction of Bree Amer, it was found the votes for that eviction had been incorrectly counted.[10] Amer had not received the most eviction votes, and she took up the option of returning to the house the following Monday night. A special eviction was held on the following Thursday evening in which the housemate to actually receive the most votes, Wesley Denning, was evicted. A representative of Legion Interactive, the company that manages eviction votes and compiles the results, appeared on the second eviction show to explain how the error occurred.
Big Brother's Big Mouth is a panel show introduced for the 2008 season of the show, based on the Big Brother UK show of the same title. It aired at 9.30pm each Monday night from 6 May 2008 to 23 May 2008. Due to a ratings decline it was moved to 10.00pm Monday starting 30 June 2008, with new series Mark Loves Sharon taking its original slot.[11] Each week different former Australian housemates were guest panel members. There was a total of 11 one hour episodes.[12]
Big Brother Friday Night Live is a live show based on Big Brother UK's spin-off Saturday Night Live hosted by Mike Goldman and former Big Brother 2004 housemates Ryan Fitzgerald and Bree Amer, showcasing a live housemate games competition conducted in an arena attached to the Big Brother compound every Friday evening. The housemate evicted the previous week joins the hosting panel. The show was introduced with Big Brother 2005, aired on Fridays at 7:30 p.m..
The winner of the overall games is rewarded with the following:
Friday Night Live returned for Big Brother 2006. A fourth prize was added for the winner, a "luckydip" type prize draw where they are presented with three boxes, each containing a prize, and may choose one box, not knowing what any of the boxes contains. The three boxes are themed on a specific country, and the three boxes featured a holiday to that country after the conclusion of the competition, a privilege that may be used within the house (such as laundry services or a special dinner), and a booby prize. Booby prizes have included a bow tie and a chunk of Camembert cheese. On one occasion the three boxes were replaced with a special prize where the winner was allowed to go on an excursion outside the Big Brother House to Tiger Island at Dreamworld, where they were treated to a feast and a tiger show. They then had the entire park to themselves for a night. The winner on this occasion was Gaelan, who invited Krystal to share in his prize. On a second occasion, the winner of Friday Night Live, Jamie, was given the four usual prizes, and a fifth "mystery prize". The prize involved Jamie and the person he invited to the Rewards Room, Chris, leaving the House to get a first go on FlowRider, a new ride at Dreamworld.
For the Big Brother 2007 season Friday Night Live remained largely unchanged. For this season the prize boxes generally contained an overseas holiday, a large item such as expensive watches or a scooter, and a booby prize. But a twist in the power to change the nominations lineup made this a more valuable than ever prize for the winner of Friday Night Live in Big Brother 2007 as they were able to remove themselves altogether (if nominated) or another housemate from the nominees for that week, and replace them with another housemate, rather than in the last two series where the winner had the power to change nominations by deducting 3 points from a nominee. The Friday Night Live format was reused in the Network Ten spinoff series Friday Night Games which began in February 2006 and ended before Big Brother resumed for 2006. This weekly program is also filmed at Dreamworld, and features two teams of celebrities (who are joined by members of the public) to compete in a series of games. The program was again hosted by Goldman, Amer, and Fitzgerald.
The 2008 season of Big Brother did not include a rewards room, instead allowing the winning housemate entry to the new "Strategy Room" with one other housemate of their choice. Due to the changes in the nomination and eviction process, the winner was able to save one housemate from eviction, and votes with double points during evictions.
The Finale of Big Brother Australia is a significant event conducted in front of an audience at Dreamworld and broadcast live on television. The usual series host presents the finale. The television presentation has been scheduled to run as long as three hours, sometimes running even longer. The 2007 season finale was extended by almost an hour due to a delay in finalising eviction vote tallies.
In all Australian series the Finale features footage from the final day in the house, by which time there are only two housemates remaining, culminating in the announcement of the winner. Usually the runner-up leaves the house in the manner of an evicted housemate, and is interviewed by the host on stage. Later the winner is asked to leave the house, finally joining the host on stage.
The final two housemates of Big Brother 2004, Big Brother 2005 and Big Brother 2007 left the House together, and were on stage when the winner of those seasons was announced. Big Brother 2006 had featured the original format where the winner is announced while the final two housemates are in the House, and they both left separately. Big Brother 2008 had the finalists on the stage with the hosts.
Previous housemates of the season sometimes put on a musical or dance performance. Sometimes the performance is set to popular music and is based on several of the tasks the housemates had participated in during the season. In 2006, Danielle Foote sang her single, while the other housemates did dance routines around her, using costumes and elements from various tasks of that season.
The 2007 finale was the last Big Brother program to be hosted by series host of seven years, Gretel Killeen. In 2008, the Finale was hosted by the replacement Big Brother hosts Kyle and Jackie O. The 2008 finale featured a special dedication to past series as the 2008 season would be the last for the foreseeable future.[13]
Originally named Big Brother Uncut, and renamed Big Brother: Adults Only for Big Brother 2006, this program showcased adult content from the house unsuitable for the early evening Daily Show. This mainly consisted of footage of the housemates showering, general risque behaviour, and discussions about sexual matters. Each episode was one hour long. During the early seasons of Big Brother it aired at 9:30pm on Thursday nights. It later switched to 9:30pm Monday nights, and then 9:40pm Monday nights. It was rated MA15+ (deemed unsuitable for viewers under the age of 15), and hosted by Gretel Killeen.
The 2006 series of Big Brother: Adults Only ended early after politicians warned Network Ten that its screening of the show could harm its push for media reforms.[14][15] The last episode of Adults Only was aired on 19 June 2006. The program was not produced for the 2007 season of Big Brother Australia. That season's host Gretel Killeen, and producer Kris Noble, cited the absence of the program as a reason for the 2007 season's reduced ratings.
Big Brother Saturday was a one-hour long show aired on Saturday evenings during Big Brother 2001, with Gretel Killeen presenting an overview of press discussions of the series that week, interviews with fans by reporter Sami Lukis, and stories about the activities of evicted housemates. The show featured little actual footage originating from the Big Brother House itself. This show did not return after the first series, largely because Network Ten acquired the rights to televise Saturday night Australian Football League games after the first series of Big Brother ended, with these telecasts taking the show's timeslot.
The series received some criticism from commentators and audiences for its sexual content. The series was occasionally referred to as "Big Brothel" in the press, in reference to the sexual content of the Uncut episode.[16] Criticism was also voiced in the Australian Government, with one politician referring to it as "...toxic television..."[17] Complaints about Uncut led to it being rebranded Big Brother: Adults Only for the 2006 season. Adults Only was cancelled early in the season due to continuing controversy.[18]
After the 2005 series, complaints prompted the Australian Communications and Media Authority to launch an investigation into Big Brother: Uncut.[19] The main complaint was that Network Ten had breached the industry code of practice by broadcasting footage that went past the maximum MA15+ rating for Australian commercial television. The ACMA found Network Ten had breached the code on two occasions: the airing of housemate Michael massaging Gianna with his penis exposed, and the song about sexual fetishes.[20] The ACMA did not impose any direct punishment on Network Ten, however outlined requirements for the 2006 series of Uncut. Included in those requirements is a commitment by Network Ten to compile episode footage early enough for censors to evaluate it. Two censors were taken on by the network specifically for Big Brother, and crew were trained on the restrictions of the MA15+ television rating. As a result of criticism, the show was renamed Big Brother: Adults Only for the 2006 season.
On 1 July 2006 two housemates, Michael Cox (using the alias Ashley for the show) and Michael Bric (using the alias John), were removed from the house for allegedly sexually assaulting, "Turkey slapping" female housemate, Camilla Halliwell,[21] in a season of the series that had already attracted significant controversy. Following the incident the live feed was temporarily replaced by an old UpLate update of the housemates completing their football task, continuously looped, and the forums on the Big Brother website were removed. Queensland Police were shown the relevant footage, but opted not to conduct a criminal investigation.[22] Subsequent to this incident former housemate Rita Lazzarotto reported that she had been subjected to a similar incident during her time in the Big Brother house in the 2005 series.[23]
Then Australian Prime Minister John Howard asked for Big Brother to be cancelled, saying, "Here's a great opportunity for Channel 10 to do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid program off the air"; Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley and Senator Steve Fielding supported this view. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie argued that the show employed many Australians in production and that, because of the already diminished size of the Australian television industry, the show should continue.[24]
Big Brother Australia was axed by Network Ten on 14 July 2008 with the broadcaster confirming that the 2008 season would be the last to air on the channel.[25]
Since the show was axed in 2008, there have been many rumours about a possible revival by Nine, Seven, Ten or SBS. SBS Programmer Shawn White has denied the show would be revived on their channel despite rumours with Nine CEO David Gyngell notably 'interested' in the idea soon after the cancellation, only to turn it down days later. The Seven Network has expressed interest since bidding for the show after the seventh season finale however denied any revival occurring a week after the 2008 finale on morning program Sunrise.
Most notably, Network Ten expressed some interest in the format when on 3 June 2011, News Limited posted an article suggesting the network may be interested in putting it on its digital channel, Eleven. In the article, Chief Programming Officer David Mott stated that '...Ten have considered ways to bring the show back on a number of occasions' however was worried that audiences had 'moved on'. Made mention was the US version where the show has had 12 successful seasons, and a thirteenth on the way. Mott said; "It's a summer show for CBS, it doesn't play in the heart of the ratings season but it's done a pretty good job for them.'[26]
On 9 September 2011, it was reported and later confirmed that the Nine Network had signed a deal with Southern Star Group to bring the Australian version of the series back as Big Brother: Secrets, marketed as 'every housemate has a secret!'. It is expected to be produced with a tighter budget and will be aired in 2012.[27]
On 8 July 2003, a DVD entitled Big Brother: Unseen/Uncut/Unreal by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, featuring risqué moments from the series was released and became marginally successful. It was rated M which means that the DVD requires a mature perspective, however there is no legal restriction on access.[28] The DVD is broken down into three sections. Unseen showed Launch and Eviction episodes, while Uncut features clips from Big Brother Uncut; speaks of how television censorship laws of different countries that have Big Brother seasons differ to Australia's; footage of the audition process; and a package where Peter Abbott, the voice of Big Brother for the first three seasons, was "Big Brother'd" for a day, where a camera followed him from the time he woke up to when he went to sleep. Unreel section has information on the first three seasons' housemates, including Big Brother 2003's housemates' introduction packages shown at In They Go; an image gallery with information on what the 24 original housemates of the first two seasons were doing at the time of the DVD's release; and an interactive tour of Big Brother 2003's Houses before and after they were merged.
Big Brother Australia won the following TV Week Logie Awards
Big Brother Australia was also nominated for the following TV Week Logie Awards
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